In recent years, HDTV has become extremely popular. High definition television offers TV reception and resolution many times better than older sets. For some of us, paying big fees for premium television subscriptions is simply not an option. If you are one of those people, and HDTV antenna could be the choice you should make.

These antennas capture high definition television signals and feed them to your tuner, which then converts the signal into a crystal clear image you can see on the screen. They come in many different shapes and sizes, along with indoor and outdoor varieties. Install one, and you’ll soon be watching major networks such as ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, and PBS in HD.

An inexpensive indoor antenna might work if you live near the broadcasting tower and in an area of low interference. These antennas are small and easy to install and usually fit right on top of your TV. If an indoor antenna doesn’t pick up the signal you want, go with outdoor. An outdoor antenna can be mounted on your roof and connects to any regular coaxial cable. Outdoor antennas offer greater signal reception.

Indoor and outdoor antennas both come in one of two forms. There is the directional antenna, which as the name suggests only receives signals from the direction in which it is pointed. These must be pointed in the general direction of the broadcast tower, and will need to be adjusted to receive any other signal (usually when changing the channel.) The other type is the multi-directional (or omni-directional) antenna. Once again the name implies its use. A multi-directional antenna can pick up signals from any direction.

There are two categories that all antennas fall into. Omni-directional antennas can capture a signal from any direction. This is the most powerful type of antenna, and you rarely have to adjust it. Then there is the directional antenna. These have to be pointed almost straight at the source of the broadcast. You will have to adjust a directional antenna if you lose signal strength or want to watch a channel broadcast from a different location. Some landlords prohibit tenants from roof installation of an antenna. If so, the FCC requires that you be allowed an exclusive use area like your balcony to install the antenna.

You can also build an antenna from household materials. Everybody knows the old standby, the coat hanger antenna. Just like an antenna, a coat hanger is a thin metal rod which can conduct and amplify a signal. You can find instructions to make your own antenna all over the internet. Do it yourself antennas are not always good looking, but they do the job. Sometimes they work even better than the ones you buy.

Now you must connect the converter to the television. Use another coaxial cable for this. Attach one end to the connector on the converter marked “out” or “cable out”. Attach the other end to the connector on your television. If your TV has more than one connector attach the cable to the one marked “in” or “cable in”.

Now that you’ve got everything connected, make sure your television and converter are plugged in to an appropriate electrical outlet. Turn the power for both devices on. You may need to “scan” to program your TV with the signals that it can now pick up. Now you’ve made the switch to HD. You can watch any major television network in crystal clear high definition. So grab a snack, relax on the couch, and enjoy your new HDTV antenna!

This entry was posted on 2 iulie 2010 at 13:10 and is filed under Technology.